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Edexcel A2 Political Ideologies 5 Nationalism and racialism A Short-answer questions 1 Distinguish between the nation and the state, and explain why the two are often confused. Nations are cultural entities — groups of people who share the same language, religion, traditions and so on. However, as no nation is culturally homogeneous, nations are ultimately defined by the existence of some form of national consciousness and can thus be thought of as psycho-political constructs. States are political associations which establish sovereign jurisdiction over defined territorial areas. The terms are often confused for two reasons: firstly, in the modern world, states and nations often overlap through the existence of nation-states; and secondly, because national consciousness usually entails the desire to achieve or maintain statehood. 2 In what ways is nationalism compatible with liberalism? Nationalism is compatible with liberalism in a number of ways, as demonstrated by the existence of liberal nationalism. Liberal nationalism is based upon the transference to the nation of moral and political concerns that liberalism has traditionally associated with the individual. Nations are therefore regarded as moral entities entitled to certain rights, just like individuals. The liberal concern with individual liberty is therefore embodied in the quest for national self-determination, with all nations being entitled to equal status and basic rights, reflecting the liberal commitment to formal equality. Self-determination, moreover, is taken to imply constitutional rule and political democracy on liberal lines. The liberal belief in balance and harmony is also reflected in the Wilsonian liberal nationalist idea that a world of sovereign nation-states will be peaceful and stable. 3 How does nationalism differ from racialism? Nationalism is a sense of common cultural identity, nations being groups of people who share common cultural characteristics, such as language, religion and t